Trainer Colin Tizzard ended all speculation about Thistlecrack running in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup by officially taking him out of the race.

The gifted nine-year-old was last week ruled out for the season with a tendon injury, but his Gold Cup price collapsed on the betting exchanges after Tizzard said at the weekend that his star chaser would have a scan on Tuesday.

However, the Dorset handler never mooted the possibility of him running in the blue riband on March 17, and has now scratched Thistlecrack from the list of entries.

Tizzard told Press Association Sport on Tuesday that Thistlecrack's "second scan came back exactly the same as the first" and that he hoped to have him back in action by Christmas.